Trusting a Stranger Read Online Free Page B

beautiful countryside, living here in such style, on the proceeds of stolen money. Everything here, every pale leather sofa, every crystal vase upon every shelf, every Persian rug upon every polished floorboard, was stolen.
    How dare he, the thief, sit there and offer her this stolen wine made from stolen grapes and served in a stolen glass?
    â€˜The people that you’re working for don’t want photos of my house for any magazine,’ Ethan said.
    He was staring deeply into her eyes. The expression demanded that she believe him. Hayley felt herself becoming hotter still. She was in danger now of a different kind than had threatened her outside. Then, she had simply been frightened of a gun. Now she was in danger of believing a man whom she already knew to be a thief, whose words she already knew would be lies. Because he was looking at her in a way that asked her to trust him and because her eyes were responding even if her mind wasn’t.
    He looked trustworthy and she wanted to trust him. But she knew she could not.
    â€˜You’ve been hired by one of the Tomasis. You probably think it was by Alvaro Tomasi. But I’m not so sure.’
    Hayley held his eye, refusing to speak.
    â€˜He’s young but he’s dangerous,’ Ethan continued. ‘They’re at war.’
    â€˜What makes you think it wasn’t Alvaro himself?’
    Ethan pushed his fingers back through his hair. ‘The plan was just a bit too haphazard,’ he said. ‘I think there’s more going on.’
    â€˜All right.’ Hayley paused, considering. ‘Tell me, just who exactly is Alvaro Tomasi?’
    â€˜He’s my former wife’s brother,’ Ethan told her. ‘He wants to find out where my daughter is.’
    Finally, he broke eye contact as he raised his glass to his mouth and took a long sip.
    Hayley tried to force herself to laugh, tried to force herself to believe that he was joking.
    But he wasn’t joking. Everything from the solid set of his shoulders to the controlled stillness of his legs confirmed that, whether he was lying or appealing to her sense of justice, he was deadly serious.
    â€˜Katy is your daughter?’ Hayley pointed towards the staircase.
    Ethan nodded. ‘Her mother was a Tomasi. The family want Katy back.’
    â€˜Let me get this straight. All this,’ Hayley began counting on her fingers, ‘the security codes, the photos I was meant to take, the gun… You’re telling me all this is to do with a child custody dispute?’
    â€˜In a manner of speaking.’
    â€˜Your ex, Erica, she wants Katy back, and you have her?’
    â€˜It’s not as simple as that. Erica is dead.’
    â€˜Oh!’ Hayley felt an absurd sense of déjà vu. She wanted to say how sorry she was but could already hear the sarcastic response that it was obvious Ethan usually gave to such platitudes. She changed tack. ‘Your mother and your wife are both dead? You’re…’
    What was there with this man? Her sentences were trailing off all over the place. She wasn’t usually like this.
    â€˜I’m not very lucky with women.’
    Ethan thumped his wineglass on the table beside him so firmly that Hayley was surprised the stem didn’t break. Then he clenched his hands into tight fists. She watched as the veins bulged.
    â€˜That’s why I’m determined nothing will happen to Katy,’ he said. ‘I’m very protective. Outside of her school, the only person who has been allowed to look after her recently is Elspeth, my personal assistant — personal friend.’
    Hayley put her own glass down. She had drank enough. Ethan had been right. Her scooter was parked quite close to the house, beside a brace of trees just a few hundred yards away. Obviously not as well hidden as she had thought. She couldn’t drink more than a couple of sips because she wanted it to be safe for her to ride to her pensione